Tagged: Francisco Cervelli

A weak lineup full of holes. A shoddy pitching rotation. One or two strong arms in the bullpen. No Derek Jeter, no Alex Rodriguez, no Mark Teixeira, and no Curtis Granderson.

No faith; no belief.

The mentality of most Yankee fans on Opening Day was, to put it mildly, not good. The Bombers bombed on April 1, losing in convincing fashion, 8-2, to their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox; a bad loss on their home diamond to begin the season. But after a couple of games they started to get it right, and here we are a month later, the Yanks looking at a 17-10 record – in second place, and just two games out of first.

Get some faith. Start to believe.

As usual, a few storylines have enveloped the first month. First, and probably most important…

Mariano Rivera is back & better than ever

On May 3, 2012 Mariano Rivera’s future looked bleak. After suffering a torn ACL on the warning track shagging fly balls in Kansas City, the “hammer of god” watched the majority of last year from the sidelines. With the veteran, 43-year-old closer’s future in question, he opted to return in 2013.

And boy, has he made his comeback mean something thus far.

Rivera slammed the door 10 times in the month of April and upon sealing last night’s 5-4 victory over the Astros has 11 saves for the year. The best part of it all: he is 11-for-11 in save opps.

Mo has been his usual, perfect self.

I attended Sunday’s 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, and sat in the right field bleachers above the Yankee bullpen. When Rivera got up to start warming, readying himself to enter the game and eventually close the game, he received a huge ovation – even before he customarily ran out of the ‘pen.

Expect this to be a recurring theme all season, given the announcement of his retirement at the end of 2013. Not to mention other teams have (and will) go out of their way to send Rivera off in a respectful manner. And it’s all well-deserved.

What can you say? He is bigger than the game.

Low-scoring affairs and one-run wonders

For a team beat up, battered and bruised, the Yankees have obviously been able to keep their collective heads above the proverbial water. However, it hasn’t exactly been easy to do. Of their 17 wins this year, there haven’t been too many blowouts; not a lot of huge wins.

Aside from a 14-1 thrashing of the Cleveland Indians back on April 9, the Yankees have played in some incredibly tight ballgames. Three of their last four wins have been one-run victories, and their two previous wins before those last four victories were decided by just two runs: a 5-3 win on April 25 and a 6-4 win on April 26 – both over the Blue Jays.

It would be nice to have a few more of those 14-1 type games, and see the Yankees put some runs on the board. Yet it’s not as if the formula isn’t working, because the Yanks are 10-1 in games decided by two runs or less this season – which is good for the best in the bigs in games of that kind.

If nothing else, they’re becoming battle-tested in close games, which down the stretch will help them.

Robinson Cano still swinging a hot bat

A power outage was anticipated when the Yankees lost Nick Swisher (24 home runs in 2012) and Russell Martin (21 home runs in 2012) – that of course went with temporarily taking away all the power numbers Curtis Granderson, Alex Rodriguez, and Derek Jeter provided.

But the one constant power player in the lineup is Robinson Cano.

Last night Cano clubbed his eighth home run of the year, which put him at 185 taters for his MLB career, tying him with another Yankee warrior – Paul O’Neill – for 17th place on the all-time Yankee home runs list.

O’Neill, by the way, who is NOT portraying Ted Danson’s character Sam Malone in a Cheers remake.

In any event, Cano is carrying the offense; lighting up the scoreboard on the Yankees’ side in most of these games in the early going. His sweet swing keeps getting sweeter and his defense continues to be top-notch. There’s no doubt his RBI count is going to climb higher and higher, and his average will be significantly over .300 throughout the course of the year.

Having Cano on your side is almost the same as playing a game of doubles in tennis, and having a brick wall as your partner. And the Yankees have that brick wall.

CC Sabathia sharp (but twice not sharp)

I’ll be the first to admit I was a little bit worried (and dejected) when CC Sabathia got absolutely shelled in Game 4 of the ALCS last year, the big ace losing the final game of the Yankees’ season to the Detroit Tigers. My worries were well-founded and even multiplied when I found out he wasn’t pitching at 100% and needed surgery in the offseason on his pitching arm.

Then Opening Day happened: four earned runs on eight hits, four walks and five Ks in only five frames to a loss to the Red Sox.

Not very encouraging to see, but as usual he turned it around. He won his next three starts, beating the Baltimore Orioles, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the very team that slaughtered him in the playoffs last year, the Tigers.

Then came Sabathia’s last two starts.

The big man was once again shellacked, this time by the Tampa Bay Rays. In seven abysmal innings he let up five earned runs – three of which were served up on home runs. He hit a batter, walked two, and in his only good stat of the night, struck out eight.

His fastball was flat, he was hanging his breaking ball, and needless to say it wasn’t pretty.

Things seemed to be going in the same direction in his last start vs. the Blue Jays: a dead fastball and bad breaking stuff. He turned it around though, and battled back to actually pick up a win in one of the most valiant efforts of this young season.

Sabathia went 4-2 in April, and believe it or not, this marks the first time in his career he’s picked up four victories in the first month of the season. I think it only proves that Sabathia is so good that even when he isn’t doing well, he’s doing well.

We’ll see how everything carries over on Friday when he toes the rubber vs. Oakland in his first start in the month of May.

Injury bug still chomping away

There’s an old saying about foul weather: when it rains, it pours. And coming into the season without Jeter, Teixeira, Granderson, and Rodriguez, the Yankees were short-handed enough.

So it rained, right? Well. Then it poured.

Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Youkilis became two more bruised Bombers, Cervelli fracturing his hand behind home plate on Saturday and Youkilis out with a bulging disc in his back. What hurts even worse is the fact that both players were doing a fine job offensively in a lineup that clearly needs not only effective hitters but more specifically, right-handed bats – Cerv and Youk both being right-handed hitters.

The front office’s hand was forced because of these particular injuries: catcher Austin Romine was called up from Triple-A Scranton to supplant Cervelli, and as announced after last night’s game, the Yankees traded for infielder Chris Nelson, acquiring him from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later. Nelson was obviously moved to aid in Youkilis’s absence.

Youkilis was placed on the 15-day disabled list, but Cervelli was put on the 60-day DL. Anymore of these injuries happen, the Yankees might need to start pulling fans out of the bleachers to play.

The day after Opening Day is always an off day. I’m not sure I quite understand why, but as long as I can remember, it always has been. On the off day this year, I was covering a girls’ lacrosse game when my dad called me. It turns out he met Vernon Wells while doing some work at his job.

A very impromptu meeting – nothing major; according to my dad, he just said hi to him, didn’t bother him too much.

The day after his meeting with my dad, Wells hit a home run and he’s been raking ever since. So far the veteran outfielder has smacked six home runs and he’s batting .298, which isn’t bad by any means. In fact, it’s quite a pleasant surprise, and Wells is a reason the Yankees are in such a good position right now.

I’ll go ahead and just say it: Wells is doing…well.

Then there’s Travis Hafner, who also has six long balls and 17 RBIs. The lefty-hitting slugger known as “Pronk” or “Project Donkey” is helping make up for whatever power was lost to free agency during the offseason.

Brennan Boesch isn’t jumping off the page as much as Wells or Hafner, but for what it’s worth, he’s making contributions to the team when needed. The same can probably be said about Ben Francisco, but in fairness he had a home run last night that narrowly crept over the wall in left field, his first dinger of the year.

If one of them can be as heroic as Raul Ibanez was last year, I think I can safely say we’ll all be happy. However, the four of them are sure as heck a step up from anything Andruw Jones did last year.

With the Texas Rangers’ win over the Los Angeles Angels tonight, the Yankees have officially clinched a spot in the postseason this year, but they will go in knowing full well it took almost all 162 games to get into the party.

This afternoon was an indication of that.

Tied with Baltimore for the AL East lead entering play today, the Bronx Bombers weren’t helping themselves when they trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 5-1 after five innings; Phil Hughes pitching about as poorly as it gets in a hugely important game.

Thankfully for him, the offense bailed him out.

The Yanks pieced together an epic rally, shredding away at the Jays’ four run lead, scoring one run in the sixth, three in the seventh, and two in the eighth and ninth innings for a necessary 9-6 victory.

Unfortunately for the Yanks, the Orioles also won their game this afternoon, beating the Red Sox 6-3 at home, and thus leaving the AL East in a stalemate going into the final three games of the 2012 regular season.

While the Yankees staged their comeback on the road, I spent the better part of my day at their home – Yankee Stadium. My friends and I were fortunate enough to take a tour of the ballpark, a trip I’ve wanted to go on for a long time.

We even took the tour with Ichiro’s brother!

Just kidding. But he looked almost exactly identical to him.

The first stop on the tour was the Yankee museum inside the Stadium. Our tour guide, a nice guy by the name of Tim, showed us the new Mickey Mantle exhibit. He then told some neat stories (most of which I already knew about) highlighting Mantle’s career.

For instance, during the 1951 World Series Mantle tore all the cartilage in his knee chasing down a fly ball struck by Willie Mays of the Giants – one of the multiple injuries Mantle suffered over the course of his legendary career.

From the museum, we journeyed to Monument Park, behind the center field wall. I’ve been to Monument Park a number of times, and never knew the story behind the door.

According to Tim, there originally was no door linking the Yankee bullpen to Monument Park. Mariano Rivera made a special request for a door to be put in – all because of his pre-appearance ritual. Before every time Rivera runs in from the bullpen, he goes into Monument Park and rubs Babe Ruth’s monument.

Don’t ask me why. For luck, I suppose? Like he needs it…

At any rate, it was a nice little factoid; nothing I knew about before. I also bent over and picked up a rock from behind the Monument wall, and discreetly put it in my pocket for keeping. I’m not sure if was allowed to do that or not…

But I won’t tell if you don’t. I just wanted to keep a piece of the day – and Yankee Stadium – for myself.

After our tour of Monument Park concluded, we made our way to the Yankee dugout, which in my opinion was the best and most fun part of the tour. We were allowed to snap pictures and make all the funny poses we wanted. My friends and I actually came up with a small running joke for this picture:

I was told I could be “Ellen Page’s boyfriend.” Don’t ask.

We then decided to pretend we were in the middle of a heated game, and posed as if the Yankees crushed a walk-off home run. We made sure to take full advantage of the dugout photo-ops.

I’ve always dreamt what it was like to be in the Yankees’ dugout – and it was pretty cool knowing that, in only a matter of hours, the entire team would be back and buzzing; right in the same spot I was in, as the Yanks come home to host Boston tomorrow, Tuesday, and Wednesday to close out the year.

Before we left, I sat down and slid my rear end across the entire bench, then declared,

“Derek Jeter always sits on this bench. And now I did, too.”

The two security guards laughed hysterically at my shenanigan.

We were then taken into the clubhouse, but with one small caveat: no pictures allowed. The organization feels the clubhouse is the Yankee players’ personal space, and snapping photos inside that personal space isn’t right.

I have to agree – if I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t want people coming in and taking pictures of my locker and my personal belongings which it holds.

Some things I did take notice of, albeit I don’t have pictures – and some clubhouse facts from Tim:

Boone Logan has a Yankee lawn gnome in his locker.

Jayson Nix had a bottle of what looked like prescription pills in his locker. And an iPhone charger.

For most of the season, Derek Jeter has two lockers: one for his baseball equipment and one for fan mail and gifts from his sponsors. In fact, Tim said, “If they could fit a Ford truck into this clubhouse, they would, and it would be right in that locker with the rest of Jeter’s stuff.”

With all the September call-ups, Francisco Cervelli is using Jeter’s second locker, for now.

David Aardsma, who was just activated, didn’t have a name/number plate above his locker. That was to be expected, however. He hasn’t pitched at Yankee Stadium yet.

Ichiro’s locker is the same locker Hideki Matsui used.

The visiting clubhouse is “big and nice, but not as big and nice as the Yankees’ clubhouse.”

When leaving the new Stadium, the players don’t have to leave from the outside of the building – unlike the old Stadium.

The elevator from the clubhouse took us right up into the Great Hall where the tour started, and Tim gave everyone a little souvenir: a Yankee Stadium tour keychain. My friends and I then took a walk over to the Hard Rock Café for some lunch, which surprisingly was very affordable and not overly pricey. (My friend Alicia over at Ballparks on a Budget would appreciate it!)

We watched the Yanks take the win over the Jays as we ate, and before we left, we basically got a little bonus. It turns out part of the frieze from the old Stadium is now sitting outside Heritage Field. We went over and took some photos with it, and I placed my hand on it; kind of touched it with my heart, in a way.

As much as I like the new Stadium, I truly enjoyed the original House that Ruth built. And it felt only right to pay homage to a relic.

No one gave the Yankees a fighting chance when 2011 started. The lineup and defense was declared “old.” The pitching rotation was called “comically thin,” and the fact that the Yankees did not pick up a huge free agent in the off-season led every skeptic to believe they were going to fail this year.

Now look where they are – and who is struggling for their playoff lives.

The Boston Red Sox were the favorites. They acquired Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, bolstering their already-potent, veteran-laden lineup. All the folks who talked up the Red Sox to win it all this season are probably kicking themselves now, as the Red Sox are just 2 ½ games in front of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels in the AL Wild Card race.

Yesterday the Yankees beat the Rays twice, sweeping a day-night double header. The Bronx Bombers won both games by the same count, 4-2, and captured their 17th American League Eastern Division title.

Meanwhile Boston dropped their second straight game – and they are 3-7 over their last 10 games. The Red Sox have gone ice cold at the wrong time and the Yankees have become red hot at the right time.

With the Yanks no longer having to worry about winning the division and the end of the regular season right around the corner, it’s that time of the year again: the time to reward the Yankee players for what they have achieved this season.

It’s the third annual Yankee Yapping End of the Year Awards!

Let us all find out who this year’s winners are.

Yankee Yapping Milestone Man Award

Winners: Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera

In 2009 both Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera accomplished something special. Jeter became the all-time Yankee hits leader and Rivera captured his 500th career save.

Fast forward two years later and both of these perennial Yankees are still making history.

On July 9, Jeter stepped up to the plate at home and clubbed a home run to deep left-center field, his 3,000th career hit. He became the first Yankee to ever record 3,000 hits and the second person since Wade Boggs to leave the yard for 3K.

Rivera became the all-time saves leader on Monday, nailing down his 602nd career save, securing a 6-4 Yankee win over the Minnesota Twins.

With 602 saves under his belt he passed Trevor Hoffman for most career saves all-time. Including the postseason, Rivera has 644, as he also has saved 42 playoff games.

Jeter and Rivera have only solidified what we as Yankee fans have known all along: that they are legends. No one may ever duplicate what both of these men have accomplished. In the foreseeable future, there won’t be another Yankee to get 3,000 hits.

There’s also a good chance no one will ever do what Rivera has done in terms of closing ballgames.

I don’t have to sell the Captain and Mo at all; there is nothing to say that hasn’t been said a million times. Jeter and Rivera have earned the love and adoration of every Yankee fan in the world. Both are five-time World Series champs, and have an opportunity to become six-time champs this year.

Time will tell if they get there, but until then, there are Yankee Yapping Milestone Man winners. Congrats guys!

Yankee Yapping Most Valuable Player Award

Winner: Curtis Granderson

These past few years the Yankees have had a number of players in the running for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Last year it was Robinson Cano, this year it is Curtis Granderson. The centerfielder’s .270 batting average may be the only statistic that is holding him down, but he has done very well for himself in every other offensive category.

At press time Granderson leads the majors in runs scored (134) and RBIs (119), and is second in home runs (41) to Toronto’s Jose Bautista (42).

Yet, remember the old saying, which originated in 2005 when David Ortiz was in the running for MVP: it should go to “full-time players” only. Defense is part of being a baseball player too, and Granderson has exhibited excellent D.

In the field he is showing off his capability with 11 assists and a .992 fielding percentage.

Throughout the year Granderson has come up in some huge spots on both sides of the field, and has turned into the elite player the Yankees traded for before 2010. He has made a lot of progress and stepped up, especially against left-handed pitching – which was something scrutinized when the Yanks acquired him.

The big fuss about Granderson was his strife against lefties. But that has not affected him this year.

In fact, Granderson is actually hitting .277 off southpaws, as opposed to his .266 BA vs. righties. 16 of his 41 homers have come off lefties and his slugging percentage vs. left-handers is .614. Against righties, Granderson is slugging .549.

He has a chance to win the AL MVP this year. But if he doesn’t, he can always take solace knowing he has won the Yankee Yapping MVP Award. Congrats Curtis!

Yankee Yapping Ace of the Year Award

Winner: CC Sabathia

I started this blog in 2009 and this will be the third Ace of the Year Award I will be handing out. All three years it has gone to the same man and rightfully so.

It was announced tonight that CC Sabathia will not make another start before the American League Division Series begins, which means he went 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA this year. He racked up 230 strikeouts, logged 237 1/3 innings, and registered three complete games (one of which was a shutout).

Sabathia has been the horse since day one; the leader. He takes the ball every fifth day and the Yankees seem to have a certain confidence and swagger whenever he’s on the mound. I think they take the field knowing they have a great chance to win with Sabathia pitching.

When the postseason begins, Sabathia has to be his usual self. Not that he pitched all that poorly last year, but he did end the American League Championship Series with a 6.30 ERA while surrendering seven earned runs in just 10 innings. If he can be that dominant pitcher we have seen, the Yanks can certainly win a lot of games. If not, they are in big trouble.

But we know what to expect from him – and he usually delivers. Sabathia won’t win the Cy Young Award because Justin Verlander of Detroit basically has that locked up. But he did win Yankee Yapping Ace of the Year for the third consecutive time.

Congrats, CC!

Yankee Yapping Silver Slugger Award

Winner: Robinson Cano

The Yankees have a lot of players to thank for where they are. But the biggest thanks probably deserves to go to the studly second baseman Robinson Cano.

After he showed off his might winning the Home Run Derby, Cano continued to portray exemplary power – which is something that sometimes doesn’t happen. There has been a theory going around these past few years that the derby messes up a hitter’s swing.

Take David Wright on the other side of town, for example. He came close to winning the Home Run Derby in 2006, but according to some experts, never put up the same power numbers after that year. Same thing goes for Bobby Abreu, who won the derby in 2005, but never hit more than 20 dingers in a season following it.

Cano on the other hand has 27 homers, 116 RBIs, and is batting .305. He has been a consistent force in the Yankee lineup, taking on the cleanup hitter role in the absence of Alex Rodriguez. He has thrived in everything that has been thrown at him and continues to impress with his sweet swing and smooth stride.

Like Granderson he may be considered for AL MVP Award – last year he finished third in the voting. Whatever happens, he has been a major reason for the Yanks’ success. Congrats Robinson!

Yankee Yapping WTF?! Award

Winner: A.J. Burnett

When Spring Training started, Yankee analysts (namely Ken Singleton) raved about the difference in A.J. Burnett. Singleton called his pitching delivery “completely revisited” and after watching a bullpen session, said Burnett’s fastball and curve ball were “crackling through the strike zone.”

Under the tutelage of first-year pitching coach Larry Rothschild, I thought he could finally go back to that dominant form he once displayed when he pitched for the Florida Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays. A lot of other fans also felt Burnett was primed for a big year.

But those thoughts were not well-founded.

The man who was signed to a lucrative five-year, $82.5 million contract has not lived up to it, as he is 10-11 with a 5.28 ERA – after going 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA in 2010. He has given up 107 earned runs in 182 1/3 innings pitched, and has allowed more than a hit per inning. He also leads the league in wild pitches with 25 – and this is the third time in his career he has led the league in that category.

For the past few years I have attempted to defend Burnett for the sake of our initials. I can’t take away from the fact that he pitched the game of his life in Game Two of the ’09 World Series. If he had not won that game and pitched as effectively as he did, I’m not convinced the Yankees would have beaten the Phillies.

Yet New York sports supporters have one question, Burnett: what have you done for me lately?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And there is no way I can defend an ERA of 5.28 in a pitcher who cost $82.5 million. Burnett was supposed to be a solid number two starter and he hasn’t even proved to be a good number four starter; maybe an acceptable number five man, but he is nowhere near what the Yankees expected him to be.

I lost a little bit of respect for him when he made a start in Minnesota vs. the Twins on Aug. 20. Burnett tossed just 1 2/3 innings before Joe Girardi came to the mound to take the ball from him. He allowed seven earned runs on five hits, walking three batters and striking out only one.

As he left the mound, Burnett lipped off at his manager and stormed into the clubhouse.

In my mind it was a complete and utter display of unprofessionalism.

After this year he is still owed $33 million – which is a lot of money. Unless the Yanks can get rid of him somehow, they might be stuck with him for at least another year and a half. I just don’t know what to make of him anymore.

Burnett I have one question for you: WTF?!

Yankee Yapping “He Proved Me Wrong Award”

Winner: Ivan Nova

I had serious doubts about Ivan Nova when the year began. In a big game, I did not want to trust him with the ball, being that he was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 10 games (seven starts) last year. In my mind I drew a comparison between him and Ian Kennedy (when he was a Yankee), thinking he would flop.

But soon after I found myself comparing him to Kennedy, I found myself comparing him to Chien-Ming Wang, being that his sinker ball has worked so effectively and he has induced a good amount of ground ball outs. Using that pitch, he has cruised to a 16-4 record this year with a 3.62 ERA.

Nova is in the running for the American League Rookie of the Year and is probably going to be the number two starter in the postseason – quite a responsibility for a 24-year old.

Although he has certainly proved me wrong as far as the regular season goes, he still has to show he can get it done when it matters. It remains to be seen whether Nova can help carry the Yanks in the postseason. But for now, he has shown an outstanding capability on the mound.

For the past two years pitchers have won Rookie of the Year; Andrew Bailey of Oakland in 2009 and Neftali Feliz of Texas in ’10. I wish Nova the best of luck to keep the line of pitchers winning ROTY moving.

And if he doesn’t win it, at least he won a Yankee Yapping Award. Congrats Ivan!

Yankee Yapping Best Season From a Newcomer

Winner: Russell Martin

He may be Canadian but after this year, I think he is officially a New Yorker.

Russell Martin was a wonderful pickup by the Yanks before 2011 commenced. He has displayed sheer durability, playing in 121 games this year. His batting average is hovering around.236, but he has smacked 17 home runs and knocked in 62 runs while scoring 55.

There’s an old saying about catchers: having one that can hit is a bonus – and we have that bonus.

Martin has also done very well working with a pitching staff he has never worked with before. He has done very well with every hurler on the staff and in the bullpen, and can easily call a good game behind the plate.

I’m looking forward to another year with Martin in pinstripes and he deserves the honor of being called the best newcomer to the team. Congrats Russell!

Yankee Yapping Reliever of the Year

Winner: David Robertson

This will be David Robertson’s second consecutive Yankee Yapping Reliever of the Year win. Last year he grinded through a slow start, only to become a lights-out relief man.

This year Robertson was an All-Star and in relief he is 4-0 with a tiny 1.11 ERA. The young man out of Alabama has struck out 96 batters in 64 2/3 innings pitched, has notched 39 holds, and has carved his niche as the primary setup man for Rivera.

He’s also earned the nickname “Houdini” for being able to get out of tight jams and sticky situations.

Robertson has been an asset ever since he joined the Yanks in 2008, and they have been lucky to have such a consistent bullpen pitcher on their roster. He scuffled a bit in last year’s postseason, but if he maintains that consistency he displayed all season, he will do just fine.

Congrats David!

Yankee Yapping Future Star Award

Winner: Jesus Montero

On Sept. 1 Jesus Montero made his much-anticipated debut in a game against the hated Boston Red Sox. He went 0-for-4 while getting hit by a pitch, and didn’t impress many fans in his first game.

But he collected his first hit in the next game against Toronto, and a few days later on Sept. 5 crushed his first two homers against the Baltimore Orioles at home. He became the first Yankee since Shane Spencer (1998) to hit his first two Major League homers in the same game.

Montero has only played in 14 games and still has a long way to go in terms of showing off what he can do. There are certainly high hopes and expectations, but from what he has given us so far, I believe he is capable; he can live up to the hype.

With Jorge Posada likely on his way out and Francisco Cervelli constantly getting knocked in the head, Montero is likely the catcher of the future.

With Martin around for at least another year, he can learn the ropes a little bit and still act as a designated hitter. That way when his time comes and he is the every day catcher, he will be more than ready.

In the meantime, it was smart of the Yankees to call him up and at least give him a taste of the majors. If he gets his little bit of experience now, I have no doubt he will be very dangerous in the future. And for that, he wins the Yankee Yapping Future Star Award.

Congrats Jesus!

Well, that about does it for this year’s awards blog. Congrats to all the winners (save for A.J. Burnett; I’m just sorry for him at this point) and congrats to the Yankees on the AL East crown. Within the next few days we will have our ALDS opponent, so look out for previews and playoff analysis.

The Yankees started and ended last night’s game the same way they did Tuesday night’s game: They let the Red Sox go ahead 3-0 in the first inning and Alex Rodriguez made the last out of the game. The Bronx Bombers once again lost to their hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, 11-6.

I could go on all day about the mistakes the Yankees made and the bad luck they were handed. Francisco Cervelli’s throwing errors, Brett Gardner not running on the wild pitch, and Derek Jeter grounding into a 5-4-3 with the bases loaded and one out which did not just kill the rally, but beat it up it and then left it for dead.

Joba Chamberlain is going to the disabled list with a strained flexor in his right elbow and Russell Martin’s back locked up, forcing him out of the lineup…it was horrible. I, like any other self-respecting Yankee fan, would rather just forget yesterday’s game vs. Boston ever happened.

What I am writing about today is what happened before yesterday’s loss.

Apparently every year the Yankee beat reporters play the Red Sox beat reporters in a game of baseball. The writers play two games every year: one at Yankee Stadium and the other at Fenway. Before the ugly 11-6 loss, the Yankee reporters played the Boston reporters, and I believe they won.

I’m unsure of the official scoring; I’m not sure if they keep records of such games.

From what I read, last year the Yankee writers and Boston writers split the series, with each team winning on the road – meaning the Yankee reporters lost at Yankee Stadium and the Red Sox writers lost at Fenway.

I am sad I missed this.

What I would like to do is propose an All-Star voting for the Yankees-Red Sox media game, and personally add Yankee Yapping as a write-in vote. I am ready to begin a campaign.

Although for work I only cover high school sports, I was issued a press pass, which is sanctioned by the New York Press Association. Yet, as I said, with this blog, I cover the Yankees, which (on a technicality) makes me New York Yankees media.

As far as my baseball skills go…well, I have blogged about that in the past. I played organized ball for five years, three of which were on the high school level, giving me experience when it comes to the game.

By trade I am a right fielder, but I can sure pick it at second base.

In order to send Yankee Yapping to the media game, re-tweet this blog post to the Yankee beat writers. Facebook it to the writers’ accounts and the YES Network.

Help send me to the Yankees-Red Sox media game. Vote for Yapping!

My campaign promise is this:

If the Yankees can’t beat the Red Sox, as a player on the Yankee media team, we will win by the mercy rule. My baseball skills can give us a huge win over the Boston press.

The Yankees played a spirited game of long ball yesterday, smacking a total of five home runs en route to beating the Texas Rangers 12-5, taking the weekend series in Arlington.

The offensive explosion was capped with a six-run eighth inning. Four of those six runs came off the bat of Francisco Cervelli, who clobbered a grand slam home run to straight away centerfield. It was only Cervelli’s second career home run (his first came in June 2009 against Atlanta).

Mark Teixeira supplied the power for the other two runs in the eighth, clubbing a two-run homer following Cervelli’s slam. It marked Teixeira’s ninth home run on the year.

Curtis Granderson also went yard, his 11th home run of the year. Granderson now leads the American League in home runs, his swing reinvented. It’s safe to say Granderson, who clipped together a 30-homer year in 2009, has a legitimate chance to do it again this year.

But the real home run story of the day was Derek Jeter. The Captain, who had no home runs coming into yesterday’s game, went deep twice; two solo home runs, one in the fifth and the other in the seventh.

Jeter has now hit safely in eight of his last 10 games and has pushed his season average up to a somewhat respectable .276. The Captain is also 40 hits away from joining the exclusive 3,000 hits club, sitting on 2,960 hits for his career.

Scott Stanford, a sports anchor for WNBC New York who covers the Yankees, tweeted, “Jeter! The guy dates numbers 2-7 on Maxim’s Hot 100 List, has more money than some countries, 5 Titles, and just when you think he’s done…”

I couldn’t agree more. He had a Renaissance or a rebirth; it was shades of old for the Captain, swinging the bat like he did when he was younger. Jeter was, what you could call, the Renaissance man yesterday. However, what most people sometimes fail to understand is that the term Renaissance man has a certain meaning and connotation.

“Renaissance man” is used to describe a person who is well-educated, and excels at a wide variety of subjects or fields. There’s no question, the Yankee Captain fits that description.

There is no need to explain Jeter’s numerous accomplishments on the baseball diamond. They speak for themselves. I could go on all day listing every title and every award he has ever won.

But his love life; as Stanford elegantly said, “The guy dates numbers 2-7 on the Maxim Top 100 list.” There is certainly a level of success when you consider every model and every beautiful woman Jeter has been romantically linked to.

That, to me, is what makes him a Renaissance man.

Like his titles and accolades, it’s like a broken needle (pointless) listing every woman the Captain has dated. From Mariah Carey to Vanessa Minnillo; from Jessica Biel to Jessica Alba, the man has been with the best of them.

But now, in the final years of his career, has he finally settled down with one?

Minka Kelly has been Jeter’s girlfriend since May 2008. By my estimation, of all the Jeter girls, she has been with him for the longest amount of time. Rumors swirled in January of 2010 the two were going to wed in November after the season ended, but Kelly told GQ Magazine that “she wasn’t tying the knot anytime soon.”

The Editor-in-Chief of Hollywoodlife.com said of Kelly, “It’s clear she is devoted to him (Jeter). She goes to probably every game of his that her schedule allows. Being a celebrity herself, she’ll understand the pressures of fame. It’s helpful when you’re as under the spotlight as Derek Jeter is, to have a girlfriend who does understand what that’s like.”

Here is my interpretation:

They will get married, but not until he is done playing.

This month marks their fourth year together and after this year, Jeter only has two years (potentially three) left on his contract with the Yankees. I think they will remain together for those final two or three years and when he retires, they will go to the altar and say “I do” to one another.

Right now, Jeter just doesn’t have enough time to be a husband. The baseball season starts in April (in this year’s case late March) and ends in September. The Yankees are usually playing in the postseason in October, giving Jeter another month of work.

During the months of the off-season, Jeter probably has time for her; I’m sure they spend Christmas and Thanksgiving together and with their respective families.

But just because it’s the off-season, it doesn’t mean he isn’t working.

Jeter has his Turn 2 Foundation, a philanthropic endeavor he set up to help kids stay away from drugs and alcohol. He wanted to reward kids who turned away from drugs and alcohol and chose healthy lifestyles. The Turn 2 Foundation also features programs that reward kids for excelling in academic studies and extracurricular activities.

The Captain has to attend a number of events his foundation puts on. Most of those events, in all likelihood, go on during the off-season when Jeter has time.

Not only that, but he (and every player, for that matter) needs to go to the gym to prep for Spring Training, which starts in February. Jeter must keep his body in shape for the season; especially at his age of 36 (he will turn 37 on June 26 this year). Maintaining a good body is a huge part of an athlete’s life, and Jeter is no exception.

Even when he isn’t working, he’s working. And it goes both ways.

Kelly is an actress and a model. As the Editor of Hollywoodlife.com said, “She goes to as many of his games as her schedule allows.” Undoubtedly she is just as busy as he is. Photo shoots and time in front of the camera make up her schedule at this point in her life.

When Jeter retires there’s no telling what he will do. He has said he will never be a manager; he has no desire to lead a team in that way. As Captain of the Yankees he leads by example and a manager cannot go out and play the game for the team.

Broadcasting? Doubtful. Jeter has always been a soft-spoken individual; he has never been all that critical or analytical of anything he or the team does. I cannot picture him sitting in a broadcast booth looking out at the infield dirt of Yankee Stadium, knowing the fans in the seats once worshipped him while he stood there.

Perhaps he will continue with his Turn 2 Foundation and continue to pursue philanthropy. He can also serve as a special instructor or advisor to the Yankees – just as some other Yankee greats such as Reggie Jackson and Yogi Berra do.

Whatever he does, I get the feeling he will find work. And when he is finished with his daily grind, the Captain will be able to come home and utter that oh-so-familiar phrase, and that question all spouses ask, to Kelly:

Today the Yankees beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 in Tampa, leaving only three more Grapefruit League games left on the schedule before they start playing for real on Thursday. The highlight of the afternoon was a towering, two-run homer off the bat of Alex Rodriguez that flew over the batter’s eye in centerfield, his sixth round-tripper of the spring.

A few decisions and moves were made recently, most notably the trade of Sergio Mitre, the signing of Kevin Millwood, and the naming of the fourth and fifth starting pitchers.

Yesterday Mitre was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Chris Dickerson. In this afternoon’s win over the Bucs, Dickerson made his Yankee debut and put on quite a hitting show. The 28 year-old pounded out three hits (including a double) in three at-bats while knocking in a run.

Unfortunately Dickerson was forced to leave the game with an apparent hamstring injury after notching his third hit. As of this point, the Yankee medical staff can only diagnose his injury as “spasms and cramping.”

Tough luck for the kid to go down – especially following such an impressive debut. What’s more, it hurts the Yankees, being that Curtis Granderson is not yet confirmed to be playing on Opening Day in light of his oblique injury. Yesterday Granderson did some running and agility drills, as he hopes to avoid beginning the 2011 season on the disabled list.

Millwood, 36, was signed just yesterday. He owned the worst record in baseball last year, going 4-16 for the Baltimore Orioles with a 5.10 ERA. However, he has been a dominant pitcher in the past, leading the league with the lowest ERA in 2005 (2.86), making the All-Star team in 1999, and finishing third in the N.L. Cy Young voting in 1999 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Even though he has proven himself in the past, he hasn’t proven anything yet. He will probably have to go through extended Spring Training and wouldn’t make the team unless he flourishes, another pitcher struggles, or another pitcher gets hurt.

Along with the trade and the signing, it was announced that Ivan Nova will be the Yankees’ number four starter this year, and Freddy Garcia will pitch every fifth day. Bartolo Colon, who many people feel had a better spring than Garcia, will pitch out of the bullpen.

Garcia owned a 5.93 ERA in four spring outings, throwing 13 2/3 innings. Colon held down a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings, giving most people the impression Colon should have won the number five job.

Yankee Manager Joe Girardi maintained that Garcia, 35, was the favorite to win the spot because Colon, 37, hasn’t pitched in a Major League game since 2009. Girardi added that, for his standards, Garcia had a good spring.

Now that we are only six days away from Opening Day, here is how Girardi should build his roster. Only 25 players can be at Yankee Stadium on Thursday and these men (I feel) have earned the honor of making the trek from Tampa to the Bronx.

Position Players

1) Derek Jeter – SS

2) Alex Rodriguez – 3B

3) Robinson Cano – 2B

4) Mark Teixeira – 1B

5) Jorge Posada – DH

6) Russell Martin – C

7) Brett Gardner – LF

8) Nick Swisher – RF

9) Curtis Granderson* -CF (*if he does not start the season on the DL)

10) Andruw Jones – Fourth Outfielder

11) Eric Chavez – Backup IF/Utility

12) Eduardo Nunez – Backup IF/Utility

13) Jesus Montero – Backup Catcher

Pitchers

14) CC Sabathia – No. 1 Starter

15) A.J. Burnett -No. 2 Starter

16) Phil Hughes – No. 3 Starter

17) Ivan Nova – No. 4 Starter

18) Freddy Garcia – No. 5 Starter

19) Bartolo Colon – Long Relief

20) Mark Prior – Middle/Long Relief (he is interchangeable; can be used for both)

21) Joba Chamberlain – Middle Relief

22) David Robertson – Middle Relief

23) Rafael Soriano – Setup Man

24) Boone Logan* (*Pedro Feliciano will most likely start the season on the DL) – Lefty specialist(s)

25) Mariano Rivera – Closer

Most of these players will be in the Bronx next week and all of them deserve to be. Girardi will probably make a few modifications to my Opening Day roster, but expect to see most of these names called during the pregame ceremony on Thursday.

Mark Prior deserves to be on the roster because of how well he pitched this spring (eight games, 7 2/3 innings pitched, three hits, three runs, one earned run, 1.17 ERA, 11 Ks, and five walks).

He earned the chance to prove himself and could provide the Yanks with some solid middle and/or long relief. I’m not sure if Girardi will send Prior to the Bronx, but if they don’t call him up, at least at some point in the season, they are making a mistake.

If Granderson does start the season on the DL, obviously a spot will be open and it’ll be a toss up. I would expect someone like Justin Maxwell (.206 in Spring Training, but he only had 34 at-bats, three RBIs, and four runs scored) or even Dickerson (if he is healthy, given his injury today) to backup Jones in centerfield. That spot would only be open until Granderson returns, anyway.

Another position in question is the backup catcher role. I feel it is time for Montero to at least gain some experience on the Major League level. Today it was reported that Gustavo Molina could back up Martin at catcher, until Francisco Cervelli returns from his foot injury.

If you ask me though, Montero needs a taste of the big leagues – even if he doesn’t spend the entire season in the show.

Whichever way it goes, in a matter of days, anticipate Girardi giving the official word on who is going to the Bronx and who will be heading to the minors.

A tie in baseball? You know it. On Saturday afternoon the Yankees battled the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay to a 5-5 tie in ten innings.

With the Blue Jays leading 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Eduardo Nunez chopped a single up the middle to score Doug Bernier, tying the game at five. From there, neither team could scrape a run across the plate.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Yanks and Jays were tied at three until Jorge Posada lined a single to right field to plate Mark Teixeira, putting the Yanks ahead 4-3. Toronto answered with a two-run home run in the top of the sixth, a blast off the bat of David Cooper to give the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead.

It looked as though Cooper took a golf swing, and Yankees’ starter Freddy Garcia knew the ball was gone as soon as it was hit. Garcia pitched six innings and was charged with five earned runs on five hits. He did not walk a batter, and struck out six.

Robinson Cano took a big swing of his own in the bottom of the first, belting a two-run homer over the right-center field wall. His shot gave the Yanks a 3-0 lead, as Cano’s round-tripper followed an RBI double hit by Alex Rodriguez.

Leading 3-0 heading into the top of the fourth, the Jays tied it up. On a wild pitch by Garcia, Rajai Davis crossed the plate. After the wild pitch, Brett Lawrie singled to drive in Yunel Escobar. Later in the frame Cooper hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Eric Thames, knotting the game at three.

Brett Cecil started for Toronto. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up four earned runs on seven hits. He walked three batters and fanned one.

Mark-Out Moments

This has been an unbelievable spring for Mark Teixeira. The slugging first baseman is batting .353 and added a double and a run scored today, going 1-for-4 at the plate. As previously documented, Teixeira is a slow-starter. At the beginning of each year, it seems he presses and scuffles along before getting into a groove.

This year could be a different story.

Teixeira hasn’t had a spring like this since becoming a Yankee. I can recall him swinging a hot bat, but nothing like this, at least in terms of his batting average. He has been getting on base, despite not hitting any home runs this spring. His philosophy is “home runs come in bunches” and he has hit over 30 both years in pinstripes, leaving us not to worry about his power numbers.

Speaking of Mark…

Mark Prior once again proved his worth today, tossing a scoreless eighth inning. He worked around a double by Adam Loewen and recorded two strikeouts, lowering his spring ERA to 1.53.

Right now he deserves a spot on the roster. Prior has been one of the Yanks’ most consistent pitchers this spring and can be a valuable asset to the already-strengthened bullpen.

If he doesn’t make the team, it will be a travesty.

Notes & Things to Look Out For

·Alex Rodriguez was 1-for-2 today with two walks, an RBI, and a run scored. He is hitting a mind-boggling .412 this spring. If he continues this throughout the regular season, he will have one amazing 2011 season. He has the ability to put the team on his back and carry them. Hopefully it won’t come to that, because the team does much better when everyone is contributing. However, A-Rod looks as though he will dominate headlines this year.

·Robinson Cano clubbed his first home run of the spring, a bomb to deep right-center field. The ball flew right over an insurance sales sign – which is next to the Hooters sign at Steinbrenner Field. I have never been to Hooters, but I want to go. (You now know something about me).

·Designated hitter Jorge Posada was 2-for-3 with an RBI today, and he raised his spring batting average to .243. He has been streaky this spring, but I expect him to become a little more consistent at the plate during the regular season.

·The Great Mariano Rivera once again showed dominance in a spring outing today. Rivera, sporting the hiked-up socks, tossed a perfect inning and recorded two strikeouts. His spring ERA is, no surprise, 0.00. Typical Mo.

·Derek Jeter had three hits today, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. After the game he spoke about his stride, and how it isn’t a big deal. He also mentioned that he doesn’t care where he hits in the lineup. He was recently plugged into the number two hole in the lineup, as Girardi allowed Brett Gardner to lead off. I don’t think it matters where Jeter hits. He has hit in the two hole a lot in the past as well as the leadoff spot – and he has flourished in both roles. The Captain was wearing a Michigan shirt during his postgame interview. He wants them to beat Duke tomorrow. March Madness even reaches baseball, I suppose.

·Speaking of Gardner, he has a bruised right shin and sat out today. He was injured on Thursday when he fouled a ball off his the bottom of his leg. Foul balls off body parts (I guess I could say) are becoming a real problem in baseball. When you think about it, you are only redirecting the ball when you foul it; it isn’t slowing down an awful lot, and it is still traveling at a high speed. Many players, notably Francisco Cervelli this spring, have been hurt because of foul balls off the feet/ankles.

·Eduardo Nunez played left field today. An infielder by trade, he made a stellar over-the-shoulder catch to end the fifth inning. He did drop a catch later in the game, but it’s no big deal; after all he is an infielder. Nunez’s offense has been unreal. He is hitting .317 for the spring and was 1-for-4 today with an RBI. In my mind, he will make the team. The Yanks would be crazy not to give him a ticket to New York.

·Joba Chamberlain, who like Mitre suffered a strained oblique, threw off a mound today and seemed alright, according to reports. He is expected to pitch in a game within the next few days.

·Rafael Soriano doesn’t want to face A.L. East opponents during Spring Training. He actually had his pitching schedule changed so he didn’t have to face the Orioles on Wednesday. I just have one question: is this guy for real?

·Tomorrow afternoon the Yankees will travel to Phillies camp. CC Sabathia will start against Joe Blanton. The Bombers will play the Rays at their camp on Monday night, followed by a game at Orioles camp on Tuesday afternoon – which is the next televised game on the YES Network.